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Tanzanian Election Results Trickle In

November 01, 2010 8:00 PM

Holding a photo of their presidential candidate, supporters from the opposition CUF party gather at Bwawani, counting center for the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC), in Stonetown on the island of Zanzibar, Tanzania, 01 Nov 2010

Partial election results in Tanzania show the president leading his challengers, but they suggest the ruling party will lose seats in parliament.

In the presidential race, the election commission has issued results from 57 of Tanzania's 239 constituencies. President Jakaya Kikwete is leading in 40 of the 57.

His closest opponent so far is Ibrahim Lipumba of the Civic United Front, who leads in 16 constituencies. Wilbrod Slaa of the opposition Chadema party leads in one district.

In the legislative elections, partial results show the opposition parties winning at least 50 seats in parliament - an increase from the last assembly.

On Tuesday, European Union observers expressed concern about the slow pace of results from Sunday's elections. Mission head David Martin said the delays create both uncertainty and suspicion among the electorate.

On Monday, election-related clashes between police and protesters broke out Monday in the capital, Dar es Salaam, and the city of Mwanza. No injuries were reported, and there have been no further reports of unrest.

Officials with Tanzania's electoral commission say final results will be announced by Friday.

The only complete results have come from the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar. There, a CCM candidate won the island's presidency by a slim margin over a candidate of the opposition Civic United Front.

Ali Mohamed Shein won 50.1 percent of the vote, while opponent Seif Sharif Hamad won 49.1 percent. Under a recent Zanzibar constitutional amendment, the parties will enter into a coalition government.

That change was made with the goal of preventing election-related violence that broke out after the 2000 election.